Council projects

The Yamala Enterprise Area refers collectively to a parcel of land identified in the Central Highlands Regional Council Planning Scheme comprising of 360 hectares of land zoned ‘special industry’ and a further 1640 hectares of land zoned ‘industry investigation’.

The initial stage involves a major upgrade to the intersection of the Capricorn Highway and Bonnie Doon Road, construction of a 1.5 kilometre rail siding and an upgrade to Bonnie Doon Road for access to the site.

This infrastructure is a critical enabler to allow the intermodal port to proceed.

Located 22 kilometres east of Emerald, the area is strategically located to service supply chain operators and producers, maximising existing infrastructure networks with direct access to the Capricorn Highway (via Bonnie Doon Road) and major freight rail network.

The 360 hectares of land zoned ‘special industry’ incorporates the Louis Dreyfus Cotton Gin, an 8-stand cotton ginning operation, and pending State Government support will feature:
– An inter-modal freight facility, the CQ Inland Port
– A state-of-art grain facility and rail siding providing fast 36-hour train cycling time to Gladstone, the ability to handle longer 42 wagon unit trains without shunting wagons and higher capacity wagons in the future, and efficiently handle local grain away from the Emerald urban areas.
– An initial 11 industrial lots ranging in size from 10,000m2 to 40,000m2

In partnership with the developers of the CQ Inland Port (CQIP) and GrainCorp, Central Highlands Regional Council has committed to provide extensive support to the development of the greenfield Yamala Enterprise Area.

Subsequently, council has secured State Government support of $4.415M through Building our Regions Infrastructure Fund, Round 3 to kick start the Yamala Enterprise Area.

Funding for the Effluent Irrigation Extension Project has been secured under the state government Building Our Regions funding program will bring the Blackwater Sewage Treatment Plant in line with environmental requirements for the discharge of treated waste water.

Council funded the first stage of this project and will match the $1.2 million in state government funding for stage two.

We identified two sites whereby treated effluent could be discharged, being the
areas of the Hunter Street Sports Precinct and the nearby Blackwater Golf Course and adjoining Blackwater Model/Aero/Heli/Car Club.

Following detailed analysis, we resolved to deliver a two-stage process to meet environmental requirements:

• Stage 1 (Hunter Street Irrigation System): Includes installation of irrigation systems at the STP and Hunter Street Sports Precinct, storage tanks at Hunter Street and electrical and control works including the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system to control effluent pumping to Hunter Street. Award of tender (2016T108C) was approvedby Council resolution on 14 February 2017 and this project is currently underway. We were the sole funding contributor and will deliver this stage of the project at a cost of $1.4M.
• Stage 2 (Golf Course Land): Includes the extension of irrigation throughout the
  Blackwater Golf Course and adjoining Blackwater Model/Aero/Heli/Car Club including pipework and trenching, pump upgrades, fitting valves and irrigations sprays and the construction of a high density polyethyelene (HDPE) lining (storage pond) at the Blackwater Sewage Treatment Plant.

The Queensland Government have announced $790k in funding for the Central Highlands Regional Floodways Program to improve the resilience of the rural road network.

Council will match this funding to deliver the project which involves the construction of concrete floodways at twenty four sites in the region to provide safe crossing during wet weather.

Concrete floodways provide channelised drainage points in which overland run off water may cross the road providing a suitable and safe crossing for vehicles traveling along the network. Thus, these works aim to reduce the time in which residents are impacted and/or isolated during wet weather events.

Nominated sites have been identified by reviewing digital mapping of previous flood events and locating those which consistently become damaged following rain events. These sites present a recurring issue when considering access for the rural remote community into regional centres.

Construction works will take approximately four months to complete, and include:

• Removal of existing pavement at nominated sites
• Replacement with 30m*8m concrete floodway, inclusive of cut off walls
• Stabilise 15m approaches on both sides of floodway (full width)
• Removal of excess material

The establishment of a meat processing facility near Emerald will enable processing of high quality beef products to supply well-established markets in Australia and overseas.

Central Highlands Meat Processing Plant Feasibility Study

Central Highlands Meat Processing Plant Fact Sheet

Central Highlands Development Corporation is coordinating this project on behalf of council. Visit the project page for updates.

Stage one of this project began on 18 March 2017 and was estimated to last three weeks but will now take longer due to recent weather events.

It  involves removal of the surface and application of a new surface layer on the main runway ‘Taxiway Bravo’ and aircraft parking bays one and two.  This work will extend the life of the current main runway, improve safety, quality and compliance and ensure that Emerald airport remains a viable and reliable community asset. The financial outlay for stage one  of the project is approximately $300,000.

Stage two of the project is planned to commence at the end of 2017. This will see both ends of the runway fully reconstructed at a cost of approximately $4.95M. We have been successful in gaining Queensland Government funding to the value of $2.2M for this project under Building Better Regions Fund.

The overall project will extend the life of the airport infrastructure, improve quality and safety and confirms council’s ongoing commitment to maintain and grow our vibrant region.

• 16 Feb 2017 – Central Highlands’ airstrips to be upgraded

More than $2.6 million will help kick off 27 infrastructure projects in the Central Highlands, as part of the Queensland Government’s Works for Queensland program.

Upgrades to the Emerald Botanical Gardens, improved facilities at Capella’s Bridgeman Park and new playground equipment for Rubyvale are just some of the local projects approved today under the funding.

Mayor Cr Kerry Hayes said the announcement would fast-track these important projects, but also create a big boost for jobs across the region.

• Funding kick starts local projects and creates jobs

The Blackwater Aquatic Centre is part of the Hunter Street Sports Precinct and was jointly funded by Central Highlands Regional Council, the Australian Government and BMA.

The centre was officially opened on Saturday 4 March 2017. It features a 50 metre partially covered pool, a 25 metre covered and heated pool, a zero-depth splash pad for the little kids, a community meeting room, kiosk, amenities, a courtyard and covered dining areas.

Approximately 310 000 cubic metres of soil was removed from the Nogoa River around Emerald as part of the river improvement strategy

Emerald residents said they felt strongly about clearing out the river as a form of flood risk management during a series of public information sessions that the Central Highlands Regional Council hosted last year.

According to modelling by engineering company KBR, localised flooding reductions of up to 30 centimetres in a flood the size of the 2010-11 event could be expected.

Media releases:

• 14 Feb 2017 – Nogoa River work completed
• 13 Apr 2016 – Nogoa River clean-out to minimise flood risk

Drone footage:

New Street in Emerald was raised to provide the highest and driest access point for vehicles and pedestrians from the area lying south of the railway line into the town centre.

The three-month project to replace the bridge over Herbert Creek on Boolburra Edungalba Road is now complete, with the road opening to motorists from Friday 23 December 2016.

The $1.25 million project involved removal of the existing timber bridge and replacing with a concrete structure as well as the stabilisation and resurfacing of the approaches. The new bridge will provide improved flood access for motorists in the Boolburra and Edungalba communities, particularly ahead of the upcoming storm season.

The project was jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments as part of the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements in association with Central Highlands Regional Council.

Watch 3 months work condensed into 2 minutes in the timelapse video below.

This project developed the wetland reserve into a focused recreation attraction. Works included the construction of new walking trails, wetland viewing areas, bird hide, fencing, educational and directional signage and a new car park.

The project was funded: $109, 636 by the Australian Government and $157,861 by Central Highlands Regional Council and was officially opened on the 26 April 2018.